


Little Miss Daisy and the Big Bad Spy

by 100ottersonaplane



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Babysitting, Declarations Of Love, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Harry Hart Can't Bake For Shit, Harry Hart Spoils His Unwins, M/M, Sappy Spies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-07 09:41:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7710208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/100ottersonaplane/pseuds/100ottersonaplane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knew Harry Hart was afraid of nothing and no one. He would never find himself afraid of anything so non-threatening as a five-year old child.</p><p>Except that is exactly where Harry found himself. </p><p>Until, of course, he didn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Miss Daisy and the Big Bad Spy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [faedreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/faedreamer/gifts).



> Gift for the 2016 Summer Hartwin Secret Santa

If you’d have told Harry Reginald Phillip Hart, twenty years ago, that at fifty one years old he would find himself with one eye and a nasty temple scar, acting as the head of a secret spy organization, with a dog stuffed in his loo, he’d likely have believed you.

If you’d have told him he would be such a one-eyed head of a secret spy organization and dating a male knight twenty-five years his junior, he probably would have been less inclined to believe you but still thought it possible.

Had you told him that he would be the one-eyed head of a secret spy organization, dating a man twenty five years his junior, and would find himself petrified of a five year old who stood a little over a meter tall, with bright blue eyes and hair the color of wheat in the sunset, he’d have laughed in your face and likely walked away.

Everyone knew Harry Hart was afraid of nothing and no one. He would never find himself afraid of anything so non-threatening as a five-year old child.

Except that is exactly where Harry had found himself.

The first time he’d met little Daisy Maria Unwin, he’d been wary. Alright, that was a lie. He’d been bloody well pants-shittingly terrified. And had been for the two weeks leading up to the meeting.

He wasn’t good with kids. Granted, he’d spent probably a grand total of twelve minutes around any children in his entire lifetime, except when he himself was a child, so he didn’t have much actual knowledge of his skills, but he just knew they weren’t going to like him. Particularly now with his eye-patch. If the thing made some adults do a double-take or whisper behind their hands, he could only imagine what a child was going to think. He didn’t know how to talk to them or hold them or make them stop that dreadful crying thing they did. He didn’t know anything about how to connect to them. And don’t get him started on diapers, _good Christ_.

He had been dating Eggsy for nearly seven months when Eggsy thought it time that two of the most important people in his life met.

Meeting Michelle Unwin for the second time to tell her not only did he hire her son for the same job as her deceased husband, but was also _dating_ him had gone just as you’d have thought- a fucking spectacular disaster. But Harry had been prepared, rational arguments at the ready, assurances ready to be laid on thick and carefully. And arms ready to block the punches flung his way.

He had no such fucking plans for Eggsy’s little sister. The same little sister Eggsy loved dearly and wanted Harry to be in her life, wanted her to be in his. He wanted them to be a little family.

And Harry would do anything for Eggsy.

He'd come back from the dead, after being shot in the head, for fuck's sake. He could do this. Couldn't he?

He tried research which did nothing but show him how fragile, breakable, and easily children could be fucked up by bad parents or even sometimes good parents. He closed the laptop and vowed not to do that again.

He did not want to ask Eggsy. He did not want the boy to know of this shortcoming. He wanted to show Eggsy that he _could_ do this even though the man had shown no doubts on the topic at all. The doubts were all on Harry's side of the table, so to speak.

So Harry asked around, quietly, to a few of the other knights who were in town. Bors had no idea about children but offered if Harry needed to know anything about Arabian horses or disarming bombs, he was at Harry’s disposal. Tristan had asked if Daisy liked guns because the shooting range was a fun place.

Percival was the only one to give Harry something at all resembling help. He offered that Harry could come with him to visit his sister so Harry could meet his niece and nephew. Harry took Percival up on his kind offer, hoping it would put him at ease.

It bloody well did _not_.

Jake had run screaming from the room while Abigail sat and did nothing but stare at him.

All in all it had gone just as Harry had expected: fucking terribly.

He could put off meeting the little girl, claim that he needed more time because something had come up, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do that. If he was honest with himself, he wanted this. He wanted to love her and let her love him.

He ached for it.

So he turned to Merlin, the man who had gotten him out of the stickiest, most deadly situations he’d ever been in. The man who he trusted with his, and Eggsy’s lives, every day. If anyone could help Harry gather up plans and possible exit strategies, it was Merlin.

Merlin only laughed for a few minutes when Harry asked for help. He probably would have laughed longer but he began to choke as Harry’s hands happened around his neck.

“Harry,” he said when he got his breath back. “She’s not a mission, you know?”

“Yes, I know,” Harry said, absolutely _not_ petulantly. “But I have to get this right, Merlin. I _have_ to. And if there’s anyone here that can help me get it right, it’s you.”

Merlin gave him the unimpressed look that meant he was touched.

“I will help,” Merlin said. “But you’ve got to trust me, yeah?”

“With my life, Merlin.”

“And I’ll need a bottle of Scotch.”

Harry sat one on his desk.

“Go away while I work.”

It had taken Merlin only two hours before he called Harry to the meeting room. Harry sat down while Merlin told him he’d be right back with the answer to all of Harry’s questions and concerns.

The he returned with Eggsy.

“You bastard,” Harry hissed. “This is not what I meant.”

“This is help. The best help I can give you. My end is held up,” Merlin said and closed the door.

“Harry,” Eggsy said, voice soft and fond, green eyes bright. “Why didn’t you tell me you were worried about this?”

“Because I wanted to… well I wanted you to… be... to not know that I’m terrified of a five-year old. I don’t want to fuck this up, Eggsy.”

“Oh, baby,” Eggsy said and took Harry’s hand. “You’re not going to fuck this up. You’re great and Daisy is going to love you.”

“What if she doesn’t?”

“She will,” Eggsy reassured him. “She’s a lot like me and if there’s one thing we know about us Unwins, is that we can’t resist ourselves a Harry Hart.” Eggsy sat down on Harry’s lap. “Fuckin’ hell, Harry, you brought my _Mum_ around to both me bein’ a spy and us shagging like rabbits.”

Harry made a face and Eggsy kissed it away.

“I-I want this to work,” Harry said. “I don’t have a plan for this. How do you… I mean you can’t plan how to win over a child can you?

“Harry, it will work. She will love you. You’ll find your stride together and you’ll be just fine. She ain’t movin’ in with us. It’s just for a couple of hours at a time. Maybe a night or two when we want. You don’t have to put on an act. You don’t have to do anything. Be yourself.”

Harry buried his face into Eggsy’s neck.

“A stodgy old man with one eye and no idea how to be around children?” He got self-conscious when he was out of his element and right now he was so far out of that element he didn’t know if he could find his way back.

“Stop it, you. You’re a kind-hearted, wonderful man who knows a lot more than he’s giving himself credit for,” Eggsy insisted. “You trust me, yeah?”

“With everything I am,” Harry said into his skin. He placed a kiss at the juncture of Eggsy’s jaw and neck just to feel the man shiver above him.

“Then trust me on this. Daisy will love you.”

“I don’t know the first thing about diapering,” Harry admitted.

Eggsy laughed.

“Harry, she’s five. She’s known how to use a toilet since she was two!”

                                                             

                                          

A week later, Eggsy brought Daisy over. Harry stood in the foyer, JB dancing around his feet in his unbridled excitement at the littlest Unwin. Harry was only a hair’s breadth from shifting from foot to foot in his nervousness. Could children sense fear like dogs? He thought he’d read that somewhere. Or just possibly made it up on the spot, he wasn’t quite sure.

“Daisy, this is Harry,” Eggsy said.  Daisy looked at Harry carefully and Harry tensed up. He fisted his hands so tightly, his fingers went numb and his knuckles were undoubtedly white at his sides. He felt vaguely faint. The door was behind them so that wasn’t a way out. He could bolt out through the kitchen into the garden. But despite the panic, or maybe because of it, he remained frozen to the spot.

“Hi, Hawwy,” Daisy waved after a moment.

She reached out for him, ever the little social butterfly. Harry didn’t move until she spoke again.

“Please, Hawwy. Hug?”

Unable to resist, with a panicked look to Eggsy, Harry took her into his arms. He held her out, large hands tucked under her arm pits until Eggsy pressed her forward into Harry’s chest and he naturally settled her against his hip.

Daisy patted his eye patch very carefully before pressing a kiss to it.

“All better,” she said. Harry’s other eye watered and Eggsy’s overflowed. JB sat down on Harry’s shoes and farted.

Ever since that faithful moment, Harry has never wanted to put Daisy down. She was magnificent.

Granted he didn’t just magically get over his fear that he was going to somehow break her. Hell, she was just so _small_ and _fragile_. Ideas from those child-rearing articles would worm their way back into his conscious sometimes and he worried that he was going to scar her somehow.

He had been bloody afraid the first time Eggsy needed to leave the two of them alone. Eggsy only needed to run to the shops to get some things. He was going to be gone no more than twenty minutes.

There was no bullshitting or pretending that everything was fine this time. Harry followed him to the door, wide-eyed with damp palms, almost begging Eggsy to stay. What if Harry _broke_ her?

“You’re not going to break her, darlin’,” Eggsy shushed him. “I won’t be gone long.”

Harry texted him seventeen times in the span of three minutes. Most of them were so close to each other, Eggsy didn’t have a chance to answer one before another rolled in.

“ _She wants juice. Can she have juice?”_

_“Does she need a sippy cup?”_

_“Yes, a sippy cup was needed.”_

_“She needs to potty. Won’t she fall in?”_

_“I forgot to take down Mr. Pickles.”_

_"She wants to pet Mr. Pickles now."_

_“She wants a snack. What does she eat?”_

_“How small do I need to cut up the grapes?”_

_“Wait, is there a better alternative?”_

And they went on in the same vein until Eggsy came home to find Daisy seated on the floor in front of Harry, brushing Mr. Pickles with one hand and petting JB with the other.

Both Harry and Daisy were very much intact and hearty though Harry was a bit worse for the wear and Daisy a little sticky with spilled juice but nothing a wet wipe and a nice cuddle on the sofa couldn’t fix. It did take them some time to explain Mr. Pickles and taxidermy to her but in the end Daisy got it.

“Hawwy loved Misser Pickles so much he wanted to have him like a stuffed bear so he could keep him forever.” She looked down at JB, perched on Harry’s feet and then back at Eggsy. “Will you stuff JB?”

Eggsy blanched and Harry laughed.

 

 

The first time Eggsy had to leave them alone for an overnight mission, Harry had bugged Merlin until the man pinged Eggsy and Harry’s glasses simultaneously.

“Eggsy, why did you not tell me you left Harry alone with your sister? I’ve been getting messages like feckin’ crazy. Good Christ, please reassure him that she is nae going to steal a knife and stab the plugs, yeah? Feck’s sake. He’s needed to piss for the last forty five minutes but is afraid that she’s, I don’t know, going to spontaneously combust while he’s in the loo. Plus he wants me to research something called ‘Peppa Pig’ and I do _not_ want to.”

Eggsy laughed. “Oh Harry, just tell her you’re going to the loo and to stay where she is. She will. Peppa Pig is fine.”

“Merlin you’re a piece of shit-take mushroom.”

“You’ll do fine, Harry. Nice save, by the way.”

And Harry did just fine and all of the times after. Eggsy had been right, they found their stride and they ran with it.

Sometimes though, Harry ran too fast and Eggsy had to rein him in.

He nearly bought her a pony once before he realized that she was asking if he would be her pony for the afternoon. He’d never imagined he’d be climbing around on his soon-to-be arthritic knees with a five-year old in a cowboy hat on his back but he did it happily to get those giggling peals of laughter to echo around his old house and settle in his bones. JB and Mr. Pickles had watched from the sofa. Harry had woken the next morning with knees so painful he wasnt able to move without tears but still thought it worth it. Eggsy had been sure to tell him, after Harry stopped attempting to move and thus could actually talk and told him of the mistake, that Harry was _not_ allowed to purchase Daisy a horse, a pony, or any ride-able farm animal. Or any other animals for that matter, just in case Harry wasn’t sure. Harry began to do research into riding schools, just in case she wanted to go.

He nearly throttled a man who had pushed past her as they were all walking in the park which made her bottom lip quiver with the rush of fear at the push. Harry had his fists clenched and had just begun to lengthen his stride after the man when Eggsy grabbed his hand briefly, eyes alight. Eggsy then did nothing more than scoop Daisy up, asking her softly if she was really hurt. After her answering in the negative, Eggsy apologized and gently explained that sometimes adults were mean on accident and then pressed her into Harry’s arms. She giggled soon after as Eggsy blew raspberries into her cheek. Harry let his anger fade away like the tears in her eyes.

He nearly spent three hours in the toy store before their first Christmas together. Eggsy had appeared after doing his own shopping and had been only slightly surprised to find Harry still there. He smiled fondly but told Harry that he was going ‘way fuckin’ overboard with the overthinkin’, bruv.’ Harry had to admit that he was spending too much time but he wasn’t sure what Daisy would like the best and he just wanted her to be pleased with his choice. Eggsy had grabbed his hands, kissed him, and told him Daisy would love it because it was from him, but she had had her eye on a stuffed Orca and that she went ballistic for anything at all Winnie the Pooh.  Eggsy had to stop him from buying the entire stock of Winnie-the-Pooh toys. Eggsy had only looked at him with a another sappy smile on Christmas morning when Harry presented Daisy with a stuffed orca, a first edition set of Winnie-the-Pooh books that were worth more than Michelle said she wanted to think about, a usable set of those books, and a Winnie-the-Pooh village that took up an entire corner of her bedroom. Eggsy hadn’t been able to sway him away from that one. Nor the set of fairy tale novels now adorning their own bookshelf at home. Both Unwins were very fond of Harry's dramatic readings, particularly his theatrical portrayal of the big bad wolf.

He needed to be reined in sometimes because Daisy Unwin, like her brother, deserved the world and Harry wanted to give it to her and protect her from it all at once.

 

Today she had wanted a princess tea party, so Harry had spent the morning digging through her toy chest to find their guests and costumes. Eggsy had been the one to stop his dialing of an actual Princess when he’d called him to let him in on their day’s plans because ‘Good Christ Harry that’s not what she meant!’

So here he was, Arthur, head of Kingsman, having a princess tea party with Daisy. Fifty-one years old, wearing a tiara, fake diamond earrings, and a neon blue feather boa, seated at a table entirely too small for his tall frame, surrounded by stuffed animals of various species, across from the smartest, most darling little girl he’d ever met in his life. The same girl he’d been afraid to meet once upon a time.

Had you told him that years ago this is where he'd be, he’s not sure what would have happened. But now that he was here, he wouldn’t change it for the world.

Daisy poured him another cup of ‘tea’ that was actually some low-sugar grape juice but Harry could pretend like the best of them. He wasn’t the head of a secret spy organization for nothing. He blew across the top of the china cup. He might not be giving her real tea but he was damned if he was going to drink anything out of those small, terrible plastic cups. He had more than enough china if Daisy happened to break one, which she had yet to do. And he didn’t give a damn if she did. Her eyes had lit up at the sight of the ‘fancy cups’ and that would have been enough, even if Harry had cared about the china.

“Thank you, Princess Daisy,” Harry said and Daisy giggled.

“You’re welcome, Hawwy.”

JB was sitting in the chair to her right, eyeing the biscuits like he hadn’t already had his own little bowl of doggie biscuits. Mr. Pickles lay on a bench seat to Harry’s right, a bowl of his own treats in front of his snout.

She looked up at Harry’s face and watched him rather intently. Before, that would have made Harry nervous, but now he simply held her gaze and offered a smile. “Hawwy?” she asked, carefully. “Could- could I see your boo-boo?”

Harry froze. Eggsy and Merlin had been the only two people he’d let see the mess that had become his eye. It was a milky white, scarred mess of a thing. He was lucky to still have a working eyelid but that was the extent of his luck. The temple scar was a silvery starburst of lines that disappeared into his thankfully regrown hair. He’d always been a rather vain peacock of a creature and this had been a blow of epic proportions.

Daisy had always made a point to kiss the eye-patch and never seemed bothered by it. But an eye patch was a different thing to the mess that lay underneath it. Today was the first time she’d ever even mentioned it, let alone asked him to take it off. His heart thundered in his chest and the grape juice turned into roiling acid in his gut. He didn’t want to have Daisy run from him or stop looking at him with admiration. What if it scared her away from him? Rationally he knew that she wasn’t likely to feel that way, but the ugly voice in the back of Harry’s mind wouldn’t let go.

He’d been the same with Eggsy. With Eggsy he’d been afraid the man wouldn’t find him attractive anymore, that he’d realize Harry was too old, too damaged to stay with and leave. He’d kept the bandages on for weeks after the doctor had told him he was healed, afraid he was going to run off the best thing in his life. It wasn’t until Eggsy had done the same as Daisy, and outright asked Harry to see, that he had to face his lover with an older, scarred face and milky eye open to the world. Eggsy peeled back the eye-patch with a gentleness that set Harry’s nerves alight with warm heat.

“It means you came back to me,” Eggsy said, fingers tracing the raised lines reverently. “It means you’re here with me, right now. It’s our second chance, Harry. Our second chance to spend the rest of our lives wrapped up together, holding on, yeah? To love each other until we’re both dust. It is one of the most beautiful sights to me, Harry, because it is _you._ Please do not _eva_ think that I find it anything but beautiful, alright?”

“I’m not too old or broken?” Harry’s voice wavered with fear and uncertainty.

Eggsy answer came with no hesitation.

“You are perfect for me, Harry Hart. You’re who I want. You’re _perfect._ ”

Eggsy took Harry upstairs soon after and made love to him for hours. The entire time Eggsy kept coming back and kissing Harry’s eye and scar and praising how gorgeous of a man Harry was, how he was so lucky to have a man like Harry want him, listing out things and quirks he loved about Harry.

It was a rare occasion now Harry worried about Eggsy finding his scar repulsive. The man was always up to show Harry just how wrong he was about how Eggsy felt about it.

He hoped, with all he had, Daisy wouldn’t find him revolting or frightening. That she wouldn’t think him a monster or a villain. He couldn’t bear to lose the little ray of sunshine.

“Are you- are you sure, Daisy-Petal? It’s not pretty and I don’t want you to be afraid.”

“It’s not scary, Hawwy. It’s you. I don’t want you to have to hide your boo-boo.”

Harry took a deep breath and carefully removed the patch and closed his good eye so he wouldn’t have to see the look of possible fright cross Daisy’s face. He didn’t hear her get up so he jumped a little when her hands cupped his face and turned it down toward her.

Soft lips pressed against the mangled eye ever so gently. Once. Twice. Three times. Small fingers lightly touched the silver scars. She kissed the eye again.

“I know it don’t make it better,” Daisy spoke softly, still holding Harry’s face. “But I still want to try. Is that okay?”

Harry let out a wet breath and opened his eye to look at Daisy, standing on the chair next to him. Her face was the picture of love and concern, eyes honest and unafraid. How in the hell had Harry gotten so fucking lucky with the Unwins? What had he done to possibly deserve their unconditional love?

“Oh, my little Petal,” Harry said and scooped her up to his chest. She slung her little arms around his neck and held on as he cried. “That is more than okay.”

“I love you, Hawwy. You aren’t scary, you don’t have to hide your boo-boo from me, okay?”

Another piece of Harry, one he hadn’t known was even fractured, healed.

“I love you, too, Daisy. Thank you. Thank you for being you. You are the most wonderful princess in all the land.”

Daisy cheered.

 

 

That night Harry had a horrific nightmare. He was back in the church in Kentucky but instead of a congregation of people, there was only Eggsy. They fought, gory and hard, until Harry got the upper hand and pinned Eggsy to the ground. Recognition sparked in Eggsy’s eyes and he begged Harry not to kill him. Harry didn’t listen and pressed the gun to Eggsy’s temple and pulled the trigger.

He woke as the gunshot echoed, a scream locked in his throat. It was only a matter of seconds until the migraine hit him full force and he stumbled to the toilet to throw up for what felt like hours. When his stomach was completely empty, he flushed the toilet and slid back to rest against the tub. He was so absorbed in trying to regulate his breathing and keep his stomach lining in his stomach, Harry didn’t hear Daisy’s soft footfalls.

“Hawwy?” She asked softly. “You okay?”

Harry jerked up, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. Daisy’s eyebrows drew down and she padded into the loo quickly.

Little hands were suddenly cupping his face.

“I’m alright, Petal,” Harry said, voice thick. “Just had a bad dream. Made my head hurt.”

“We call those dark horses,” Daisy said, fingers gently tracing the lines of Harry’s face. Her hands were cool, soft, and smelled of lavender. “I know what to do. Eggsy told me. Be right back.”

Harry blinked and she was gone. Normally there would be a spark of worry that she would hurt herself somehow despite not having ever done so in his care, but the pain made him unable to think of anything else but it. It burned and stabbed and twisted through his brain, as though a wild animal had been loosed inside his skull at it was attempting to find a way out with claws, teeth, and brute force.

Daisy returned moments later, arms loaded with a packet of biscuits, and two juice boxes. Harry watched as Daisy pulled out the step stool, climbed up to the counter, and carefully selected a medicine bottle.

“I shouldn’t…” Harry said. “I need to be able to watch you.” He couldn’t take the sedatives, he’d be unconscious for at least twelve hours and Daisy could not be left to fend for herself. Harry realized that Daisy might take offense, as independent as she was but she only shook her head.

“These aren’t the sleepy ones,” Daisy said and effectively stopped Harry’s worry when she handed him a bottle he recognized as not the sedative. Eggsy had color-coded them so that even in one of his pain-riddled hazes, Harry could find what he needed. “Eggsy showed me the difference. And he says you have to eat with those or they make your tummy hurt.” She grimaced. She stabbed the straw into the juice box and watched as Harry took the pills.

“Thank you, Daisy,” Harry said, after he swallowed the pills. She had a big heart, and was smart as a whip, just like Eggsy and Harry didn’t think she’d ever stop amazing him.

He would have to have a word with Eggsy when he returned about taking the time to teach his sister this. He was always taking care of Harry, even when he wasn’t there. He had two Unwins looking out for him, two Unwins that loved him. He was unbelievably lucky.

“After you take your head medicine, we’ll take care of the dark horses,” Daisy said. She happily took a biscuit from the package and munched on it.

“What do you do for dark horses?” Harry asked when the screaming in his head had dialed down to a manageable level. He seriously doubted he’d get back to sleep but the concern etched onto Daisy’s face as she watched him wasn’t likely to go away until he let her finish out taking care of him.

 “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Harry carefully followed Daisy, down into the front room where her pillow fort was set up. Harry crawled into the fairy light lit pillow cave. The light was enough to see by but not enough to set off his still fragile hold on the pain and he was utterly grateful. JB was curled up on his dog bed in the corner, snoring away. Mr. Pickles was tucked in on his own bed, a blanket covering him up to his neck.

“Now you lay here,” Daisy said, patting a pillow with Winnie-the-Pooh on it. “And I lay here.” She laid down above his head, perpendicular to him, on a pillow with Eeyore. A soft hand gently wound its way into his hair. “The dark horses come in from the top,” Daisy said, gently scratching at his head. “They won’t get through me. They _neva_ get through Eggsy. Says us Unwins scare all the dark horses away when we know they’re comin’.”

“Thank you, Daisy. For everything,” Harry said seriously. “You’re a wonderful girl.”

“You’re welcome, Hawwy. Tha’ what family does.”

She hummed a song that Harry vaguely recognized from some movie with a mermaid and soon Harry was asleep once more.

He slept dreamlessly and woke to a pair of bright blue eyes above him.

“Hi, Hawwy,” Daisy said with a toothy smile. “Betta?”

“Hi, Petal. Much better, thank you.”

And another wonderful day began.

 

 “Could we bake Eggsy some biscuits?” Daisy asked later that afternoon as they wrapped up arts and crafts which had been Harry letting Daisy color in the dragon tattoo on his back. “He’s suppose’ to come home today, isn’t he?”

“Yes he is,” Harry said, worry settling behind his sternum. If there was one thing Harry was terrible at in the kitchen it was baking. He could cook fine meals without a second thought or single mistake but he was bloody incapable of baking and having anything come out anywhere close to correct or edible.

Daisy’s blue eyes were looking at him imploringly and it wasn’t like she was asking to blow something up like Eggsy did just two days prior.

He said yes to her, just like he’d said yes to Eggsy. Though if Merlin asked, it had been a resounding ‘No, Eggsy. Absolutely not.’

Three hours later, Harry wished Daisy had asked to blow something up. Because then the state of his kitchen would make more sense and be a hell of a lot less embarrassing.

This was nothing but a bloody fucking disaster.

The mixer had been on entirely too high when he’d tried to add the sugar and so he, Daisy, JB, and the kitchen were coated in a rather sticky, fine white powder dusting. It looked a bit like they’d turned the kitchen into a cocaine den.

Then he’d attempted to put flour into the mix but hadn’t realized that the jar he was holding was cornflakes. Not the same thing at all. Neither was the condensed milk he’d accidentally used. And powdered eggs had been wrong on so many levels.

There was the disaster when he’d added too much water and they’d had soup. That had managed to fling itself everywhere, despite not being anywhere close to the mixer.

So they’d started over. Three times more, after that.

They’d managed to get a set in the oven which burnt to a charred black brick in a matter of minutes.

Harry didn’t want to think about the others that had made it into the oven. They were the stuff of Gordon Ramsey’s bloody nightmares. Hell, they were probably going to give Harry nightmares.

They’d only set the smoke detectors off once so that was something, Harry supposed.

The apron Harry had begun with was now in a crusty pile in the corner of the room, his dress shirt stained, sticky, and rather uncomfortably damp. His trousers hadn’t fared much better. Thankfully he’d hadn’t been wearing shoes. The kitchen now had splashes of green food coloring, chocolate syrup, and something vaguely honey-colored that Harry honestly had no idea what it was or where it came from. There were bowls and various dishes stacked in and next to the sink. There was a set of dough on the ceiling where Harry had, un-fucking-successfully attempted to toss the dough like a pizza to make Daisy laugh.

It had certainly made her laugh. Even more so when it hadn’t come back down and Harry had stared up at it.

Daisy was having the time of her life and JB was likely going to die, he was both so excited and so high off of the sugar he’d licked up off the floor. He was vibrating as he bounced around the kitchen, leaving little pug paw prints in the powder.

It was like a bloody cartoon because just as JB stopped moving to sniff at a cornflake on the floor, the dough dropped onto his back. Daisy laughed so hard her face went beet red as Harry chased the now blinded-by-biscuit-dough pug around the kitchen, slipping and sliding on the floor. He finally caught JB and removed the dough. He opened the door to the back garden and shooed the little thing outside so he wouldn’t have to do another impromptu pug chase but also so JB wouldn’t track the mess through the house any more  than he already had. Or actually get diabetes from all of the sugar around.

Daisy was concentrating on stirring her part of the recipe when the mixer Harry had on low suddenly kicked into high gear and completely covered them in vaguely chocolate flavored goop. Harry raced to turn it off but slipped on some of the weird honey-colored substance and landed right on his ass.

“Hawwy?”

“I’m fine, darling,” Harry assured her. He reached up and yanked the plug out of the wall and the spray of goo slowed and then stopped. He looked up at Daisy, seated firmly at the counter, now dripping in the same stuff he was.

They began laughing at the same time. Harry crawled over to gather her out of the chair against him and sat back onto his butt, trousers already ruined anyway. Daisy curled against his chest and continued giggling. Her peals of laughter were worth the hours it would take to clean the kitchen or the money he’d have to pay, depending on if he could find someone crazy enough to take it on.

They spent a few moments gathering their breath before Harry surveyed the mess.

“Want to make a sugar angel?” Harry asked as he spotted a spot of floor in pristine, white powder glory.

“Can I?!” Daisy nearly shook with excitement. Hell, they’d already made a mess, now they were going to play in it.

“Let me go get the camera. Then we’re going to try and build a snowman with the lumpy dough.”

 Harry washed his hands and while he carefully navigated his study to retrieve the camera, opened Amazon, and ordered a child’s baking oven to be delivered within the hour. Dammit, Daisy was going to get to bake some cookies for her brother. Biscuits he could eat and not likely get food poisoning or break a tooth or seven upon.

Harry hurried back downstairs to find Daisy standing just where he’d left her, looking at the pile of sugar eagerly.

He turned the camera on and Daisy leapt over, sending up plums of sugar smoke as she flapped her arms and legs.

They managed to make a couple of figures out of one set of disaster dough. And though they looked rather like cookie dough lumps and not actual snowmen Harry wasn’t going to argue that they were clearly Harry, Daisy, Eggsy, the thing that looked like a loaf of bread was JB.

Hell, it did actually have a resemblance to the pug. She’d even put black sprinkles in for his eyes and a smushed jellybean for his nose.

She’d also made a Mr. Pickles, simply a flatter version of the loaf of bread JB, with a licorice coin for his nose.

The little oven arrived and Daisy’s squeal of delight was high pitched enough JB whined to be let back in to see what the fuss was about. Harry brought him in.

Eggsy found them, an hour later, seated on the floor, covered in goo and powder, surrounded by even more goo and powder and family of slowly falling cookie dough people and dog, laughing. They were in the midst of carefully decorating a little brown cake.

Eggsy stood in the doorway, mouth agape at the disaster.

“Eggsy!” Daisy screamed and threw herself up toward him. Eggsy, wearing just track bottoms and a vest, gathered her against him with no hesitation and peppered her face with kisses.

“Hello, my flowah. I see you and Harry did some… baking.”

“Hawwy, bring the biscuits, please! And Eggsy’s cake!”

As Harry levered himself up, the sticky substance on his ass creaked and cracked and he winced. He brought over the plate of little, rather tasteless biscuits to Eggsy. They were a thousand times better than anything Harry had even gotten close to at any rate. The cake tasted better, vaguely like chocolate.

Eggsy ate them with gusto, praising Daisy all the while.

“Well flowah, Mum will be here soon to take you home. Let’s get you a bath so you don’t stick to the seat, yeah?”

“Yeah!” Daisy cried happily. She hurried over to Harry and hugged his knees. “Thanks, Hawwy!”

“You’re very welcome, Miss Daisy. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

 

Michelle stared unbelievably at Harry as he answered the door when she rang the bell a little while later. He knew his hair was standing up at all angles, full of sticky shit as it was, and he’d not even bothered to change clothes. He probably looked he’d stepped out of a kitchen-esque warzone.

It wasn’t until he’d reached up to touch his hair that he realized that he wasn’t wearing his patch. Michelle noticed his fear, grabbed for his hand and squeezed it.

“Daisy asked me to take it off,” Harry whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, Harry,” she said softly. “Ain’t no reason to be sorry. You’re still my boy’s handsome bastard and we love you.”

“Thank you,” Harry said, swallowing back the emotion in his throat. Michelle Unwin had never spoken to him like that. Never included herself in the people who loved him. “Thank you, Michelle. Truly.”

She squeezed his hand once more before dropping it with a warm smile.

“You’re our family, Harry. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to tell you that.”

“T-thank you, Michelle,” Harry said. Eggsy and Daisy appeared in the foyer.

“Hawwy and I baked!” Daisy said, excitedly as Eggsy carried her over to the door.

“I-I see that,” Michelle said and took the little lopsided cake Daisy handed to her. She looked up at Harry and motioned to his entire frame. “All of that for this?”

“No, not even close,” Harry admitted. “This was Daisy’s doing in her new little oven. My attempts were…”

“Disastrous?” Michelle joked.

“An unbelievable set of disasters,” Harry agreed with a chuckle. “The kitchen may be a lost cause. We might have to move.”

“We just might, Mum,” Eggsy agreed. “It’s like Willy Wonka’s factory _blew up_ in there.”

“Well good luck cleaning it up,” Michelle said as she took Daisy. “A toothbrush works great on grout.”

“Thank you, Michelle,” Harry said. They both knew he was thanking her for more than just the advice.

“Bye, Hawwy!” Daisy said. She leaned out of Michelle’s arms just enough to kiss his mangled eye. “Love you. Love you, Eggsy!”

“Love you too,” they said in unison.

Harry closed the door and was immediately pinned against it. Eggsy kissed him, hard.

“You are a brilliant, wonderful man,” he said in between pepperings. “And I love you so fuckin’ much. You are practically perfect in every way. You just can’t bake for shite.”

They laughed and breathed each other in for a few moments.

Eggsy leaned over to lick at his neck. He jerked back, offended.

“That is _rank_ , Harry. What the hell is it?”

“I have no idea,” Harry said.

“You blew up an Oompa Loompa, didn’t you? I mean, Christ, Harry,” he laughed. He jogged backwards to look into the kitchen. “You had to blow up like seven of ‘em. Just, how?”

Harry shrugged with a grin.

“Alright, get upstairs. We’re showering.”

Eggsy took his hand when they reached the top of the stairs.

“Watching you with her, watching how much you love and cherish her, Harry, it makes my heart feel like it’s going to explode. Because you never had to love her. Just like you never had to love me. But you did. You do. You love us.”

“I am baffled, dear boy, that you believe I had a choice in the matter. I could never hope to do anything but love you and Daisy. My heart was meant to beat in time with yours. My soul meant to tangle with yours until we’re inseparable and undividable as two separate beings. You make me whole, Eggsy. Whole, happy, alive, and loved. I love you, Eggsy. Truly, madly, fiercely.”

“I didn’t think it was possible for me to love you anymore, Harry Hart,” Eggsy said, pressing his cheek against Harry’s chest, despite the sticky shit there. “It overflows from my heart like… like I don’t even know. And then I come home and you’ve… you’re laughing with her, covered in sticky goo, and I just, it’s like my heart just exploded. I love you so much it nearly hurts.”

“I know the feeling, dear boy. I know the feeling all too well. I love you,” Harry breathed again and they stumbled into the loo. “I will love you all long after we’re dust, Eggsy.”

Eggsy stripped down and set about helping Harry peel the sticky clothing from his skin.

“Dagonet is going to murder you,” Eggsy joked as the shirt crunched under his fingers.

“I thought I might just lose them,” Harry said as he turned to fiddle with the taps. Eggsy sucked in a breath.

“You let her color in your tattoo,” Eggsy said, voice lilting and awed.

“Could you take a couple of pictures?” Harry asked. “I’ve not been able to see it yet.”

“Already done,” Eggsy said, waving his phone. “God, I love you so much I can’t breathe.”

He leaned up to kiss Harry’s lips again and froze, eyes wide.

“What’s the matter?” Harry worried.

Eggsy stepped back and looked at Harry, seriously.

“Your patch. You’re not wearing your patch.”

Harry shook his head and let out a breath of relief.

“Daisy, well, Daisy asked me to take it off yesterday. Told me I didn’t have to hide it from her.”

“You didn’t put it back on for Mum,” Eggsy said, clearly proud.

“Truthfully, I had forgotten all about it,” Harry admitted. “And then did again when she told me she loved me.”

Eggsy gaped, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Harry began to feel self-conscious and then Eggsy whooped with excitement.

“You… you… my Mum told you she loved you. Harry! That’s… holy fuckin’ shit!” Eggsy jumped around, fists in the air as he danced. “I knew she would, but this is amazing!”

Harry just smiled, happiness filling him up. Eggsy stopped dancing to kiss Harry. It soon turned hot and heavy, a battle of tongues and nipping teeth. Harry’s blood grew hot in his veins that had nothing to do with the room filling with steam.

“Now, let’s get cleaned up so I can show you just how much _I love you_ ,” Eggsy said, pulling back with a wink and an obvious sweep of Harry’s body. Harry’s blood warmed even further.

“Not if I show you how much I love you first,” Harry teased. Eggsy’s eyes went dark with heat and a shiver went up Harry’s spine at the sight.

It was a competition they both won.


End file.
